Red Light, Green Light
by RedPoppyEnkai
Summary: What do you mean Loki's friendless? Of course he has friends! Lots of them. There's Sigyn, Svadilfari, and Brynhildr, the two warrior sisters, Angrboda and Glut, the two magic sisters, Amora and Lorelei, and last, but not least, the brave Baldr. They all get along great, but that doesn't mean they get along with everyone. Mainly Thor and his friends.
1. The Challenge

Unit One: Battle of the Garden

~ The Competition ~

Loki lay belly-down in the grass. His mother's garden was always breezy and welcoming. The grass soft and flowers perfumed. The idle place to curl up and read.

"Hey, Loki. Did you find that smoke spell yet?" Amora hadn't looked up from the red, brick of a book she was reading out of.

Okay, maybe it wasn't pleasure reading, more like Seidr practice, but the garden was still a wonderful place to be secluded enough to puzzle out spells and practice forms. This place was off limits to most people and didn't hold much interest to others, at least to the type of others Loki wants to avoid.

"Yes, but I am still reading through it." Loki told her. Amora perked up and shuffled forward, her forgotten book nearly falling off her lap in her new interest in Loki's spell, until she crowded next to Loki, reading the spell from her new vantage point smushed up against him. Loki grunted, but didn't really care as much as he put on. Amora's lack of personal space had ceased to bug him centuries ago.

Attention torn from his book, Loki looked around at the sorted group of people that fluttered about him. Two kids, one strongly build girl, tall and sturdy, the other, a young boy with long hair and a thin body, sparred with sticks brandished against one and other. Angrboda and Bladr respectively. The sounds of their grunts and huffs and wood clanking against wood was the loudest thing in the garden, only rivaled by the voices of Sigyn and Svadilfari. The two of them sit back-to-back in a small nest of flowers. Svadilfari twisted a long piece of grass between his teeth while Sigyn braided a garland of flowers. Glut, a gangly girl to have not quite grown into her own body yet, lay on her back in a patch of clover, pushing herself in a vigorous exercise. Lastly, there was Lorelei, who was leaning against the tree that shaded the lot of them from the noonday sun, memorizing and writing scrolls for her history tutor, looking like for all the nine realms she'd rather be up with Loki and Amora and their magic books.

"Ha!" Baldr cheered as he finally knocked Angrboda's stick away from swinging at him, not quite out of her hands, but enough to make her fumble. He got in a good throu-wack! against her shoulder. "Take that!"

Angrboda's eyes narrowed, she didn't like being bested, but Baldr's smile was so brilliant, she found the strength to let it go. She smirked at him and poked him in the stomach during his little victory spill. He doubled over, but mostly in show.

"Hey?" He asked. "I've been thinking, and I think that maybe... maybe I should start training with two swords."

Angrboda raised her eyebrows. "Two swords?" She echoed. Baldr nodded. It wasn't too bad of an idea. She would admit that Baldr was strong, strong enough to wield two swords. It would be a good idea to train to use a sword in his right hand rather than just rely on the sword in his dominate left hand, since most warriors do fight right-handedly. He also had that nasty habit of using his unarmed hand to block or swing about unnecessarily, itching for something. Angrboda had suggested a gauntlet before, but Baldr had been unsatisfied with it, saying that it threw his balance off. Another sword then. Perhaps that would work. It would only make Baldr all the more dangerous.

"Sure." Angrboda said, shrugging. "Why not."

Baldr's eyes lit up, no doubt reassured now that he had someone else's agreement in his idea, even if it was as vague as Angrboda's was. She picked up another one of their sparring sticks, and tossed it to Baldr, who tried to catch it in his right hand and failed miserably. Angrboda clicked her tongue in disapproval. "You will have to be better than that."

Baldr nodded and picked up the stick. They stood off again and started swinging.

"I still think it is ridiculous." Sigyn complained, weaving a green lily into her garland. "I have been dealing with it for centuries and I still find it so ridiculous."

Svadilfari shrugged. "Nothing you can really do. Things are different because of it, but I do not, and never will, regret becoming his friend."

"Me neither." Sigyn said fiercely. "I just sometimes wish he was not a prince."

"Do not wish for things like that. If that were to come true everything would change."

"You are right." She pushed against him playfully with her shoulders. "You are always right." She grew quiet for a moment, fiddling with her flowers. "I just hate being the center of attention and gossip. I can not make a trip to the market without everyone knowing about it by nightfall."

"Is it really that bad? I understand your disdain for a lack of privacy, but is it really that bad?"

Sigyn stopped and thought, this was why she liked to talk to Svadilfari, he could always make her think things through, question things until she came to a more rounded conclusion. Svadilfari made a good point.

He himself used to be a serf. A lowly worker on his employer's farm with a widowed mother and no siblings. When he met Loki and befriended the Prince, things changed. He now lives in the castle and is training with the Master of the Horse. The prejudices he gets, the names he gets called, the scrutiny he's under, is a completely different match than Sigyn's fight. Different and perhaps somewhat worse, but it did not erase Sigyn's troubles. Just because someone was more miserable didn't mean you couldn't be miserable too. Not that she thought Svadilfari was aiming to make her feel guilty, but was she miserable? No, she just held a distaste for attention and people with nothing better to do than stand at the corners and whisper to one and other.

Lately though, there was less and less of her in the grapevine. Not because she wasn't doing stuff – No, she was always naughty. Loyally following Loki into trouble. Someone had to keep an eye on him. – but because they were getting smarter. Especially Loki, that boy could talk you into thinking an orange was an apple. They still made mischief, they just didn't get caught. A small smile tugged at her lips. She wouldn't trade her adventures and memories for anything. Nor would she trade future escapades for a chance at privacy. Just like Svadilfari pointed out.

"I think it is tiring, but you are right. Again. That it is worth it, to be his friend, everyone's friend." She smiles and holds up a finished flowercrown. "It has not been that bad lately anyway. We are getting quite clever in our old age."

Svadilfari chuckled and Sigyn caught a pair of bright green eyes and a white smile aimed her way. Loki had been eavesdropping. Not that she minded, they were in a public place, and they hadn't talked about anything private or that Loki didn't know about. She laughed and tossed him the garland. He caught it in two hands to avoid hurting the delicately weaved flowers. "There you go your Highness." She teased.

Loki just rolled his eyes and humored her, placing the flowers over his dark hair. It looked good on him, The pale blues, bright yellows, and vivid greens showed the downiness of his black hair and complemented his pale complexion. His eyes shown with humor and Sigyn couldn't help but think that he looked like a male Valkyrie. Noble, beautiful, and full of powerful magic and carnage. She could easily see him picking warrior's fates on a battlefield, who to die and who to live, who to go to paradise in Valhalla and who to go to eternity in Niflheim.

"Those plants really bring out your eyes." Amora joked and elbowed him, not hard to do with how close they were pressed together in order to read the same book. He elbowed her back and soon the two of them started a wrestling match. Sigyn and Svadilfari watched with gazes of happy amusement. It was quick to end with Loki pinning her down, sitting on her thighs with her wrists held above her head. "Cry uncle." He mocked.

"Never!" Amora struggled in his grip. Before mumbling something, Loki knew it was a spell, but both of his hands were holding her wrists, so he couldn't cover her mouth. A small pop was heard and a fizzle of smoke appear between them, barely big as a trail of a dampened candle.

Amora's face fell. "The smoke spell didn't work."

Loki sat back and cocked his head. "What went wrong?"

"I don't know." Amora pursed her lips in thought.

"Maybe you said it wrong?" Loki suggested. "Let us go look." He moved off her and back to the book and placed it in his lap, Amora knelt behind him and read over his shoulder. Baldr laughed at their easily given up fight, his distraction earned him a wallop on the side of the head from Angrboda.

They'd been there only a few hours, holding onto the hope of a whole afternoon to themselves, when noise came from the left of them. Everyone stilled to listen.

"Your Highness, please. As I have said, the Royal Gardens are occupied." The strained voice of a house servant was heard. Loki knew what had happened, what was going to happen, even before he heard the returning sneer.

"Then remove them." The golden voice said. "I do not see what is so hard about that."

"I cannot. Perhaps, I may fetch you what you need from the Royal Gardens and bring it back here to you?"

"What is this foolery?" Oh, Loki could hear the small well of patience drain. "Get out of my way!" There was a scuffling noise and a soft 'oomph' as someone was pushed out of the way.

The voices were loud now, just on the other side of that ghumin willow. The voice of the servant babbled on, slightly panicked, but more defeated than anything. "I advice you not to continue your Highness. It will-"

"Why do you continue to pester me so?"

"I must say! Being warded away makes me want to see what you are hiding even more." A different voice spoke up, another familiar voice. So they were all here. Loki wanted to sigh. Amora did sigh.

The servant backed into view and glimpses of color was seen through the thick leaves as the opposing party plowed on towards them. "Please? I'm really not suppose to-"

"Who told you to turn us away? Are they really important enough for you to speak so to your crown prince?" He was irritated, Loki could hear it in his voice, and if the servant were to speak out again, that 'crown prince' would have lost all his remaining patience.

"I told him." Loki snapped his book shut and stood just as his brother and his goons turned into the alcove they've been lazing in.

"Loki?" Thor says in surprise. Which quickly turned into a squinty-eyed weariness. The other four looked at Loki strangely, then with hidden smiles. Loki choose to ignore this.

"He was instructed to warn away everyone while we are in here. Everyone. Including you." Loki hissed a sigh. "Kigne," he addressed the servant, "you may be dismissed." The boy bows gratefully and leaves.

"You know his name?" Thor blurts out, obviously not thinking if that confused look on his face said anything.

"Yes, he is mother's favorite handmaiden's son" Loki replied slowly.

"Oh." Thor replied so very eloquently. Loki rolled his eyes, he doubted that Thor even remembered the handmaiden's name, despite her having been around since they were born. Thor was just that thick headed.

"Sooooo..." Amora drawled out her Os in a condescending way. "Why are you here?"

"You don't own the gardens." Sif, the only girl in Thor's group and definitely the most fiery, spat the words out in indignation.

"No, but we were here first." Angrboda put her hands on her hips and leaned forward with a scalding glare just for Sif. Sif glared back with just as much intensity. The unsaid 'go away' was easily determined by every person there.

"So? What if you were here first?" Sif crossed her arms and raised her chin haughtily. "We're older."

Angrboda sputtered, fingers flexing around her stick. She stalked forward and pointed her stick straight in Sif's face. Sif's face contorted into a snarl. "That does not-" Angrboda shouted, but before she could get much farther or either of them could do anything too stupid, Baldr grabbed her arm and gently tugged Angrboda back. The girl ripped her arm out of his grip, but didn't finish her rant.

"That's not fair, Sif." Bladr, who was the youngest of the bunch, spoke up with an irritated look on his face.

"Life is not fair." Fandral spoke up to pitch in his two cents, his voice bright and teasing in the tense atmosphere.

"We are not leaving." Loki said finally.

"We can share?" Svadilfari suggested tilting his head back and to the side to see the intruders, for he had not moved from his position with Sigyn. He still chewed on his grass and didn't sound interested in the conversation, speaking with a nonchalant, nearly bored air. He didn't think people would take his suggestion well, and they didn't.

"That's absurd," Thor snorted. "there is not enough room for all of us."

"Of course there is." Sigyn finally spoke, taking up her friend's back. "You just don't want to share."

"We can't share." Hogun spoke plainly, his voice solemn. "We don't get along."

"Fair enough." Loki said.

Silence stretched as a stare down commenced. Thirteen kids hold ground like armies facing off.

"I got an idea." Glut said softly. Attention was suddenly on her and she shifted uncomfortably. "Let us have a competition."

Loki's eyes lit up at the idea. "That is perfect, Glut!" Glut grinned shyly under the praise. "We will have three competitions. One chosen by us, one chosen by you, and one chosen by a servant. We get to pick whoever is best suited from our parties to enter the competition chosen. The winner of two of the rounds gets to stay in the gardens the loser is forced to leave." Loki raised his hand and extended it towards Thor. "Is it a deal?"

Thor was weary about this. The word 'deal.' made him pause. It was know that Loki was devious with his little 'deals' and has, regrettably, tricked Thor more than once with his cunning words. The palace was even starting to whisper the moniker 'Silvertongue.' So, it was obvious why Thor would hesitate, but thinking past the initial cautiousness, Thor realized that this was a competition. A little competition! How could he lose this? He and his friends were older and more trained than the young brats his brother hangs around. Why should he worry? This would be an easy win.

"Are you going to do this or not, brother?" Loki wasn't impatient as much as he was mocking Thor for his hesitation. It got the desired effect.

Thor puffed up and immediately snatched Loki's hand, squeezed hard, and shook it up and down once. "Prepare yourself for failure, brother."

Loki's smirk grew at Thor's arrogance. "I would not be so sure about that."


	2. A Contest of Speed

Chapter two is quite a bit longer than chapter one, but I didn't feel like splitting it in half.

This is later than I had expected. But I still got it out, and it's twice as long as Chapter One. So enjoy that.

These kids are naughty! XD

I imagine Loki as a devious child, quick to use things to his advantages, but, sadly, well aware of what the world really is.

On the other hand, I see Thor as a reckless, arrogant teenager with no love for authority. (Though I do imagine him as an adorable, sweet kid.)

Also, about Sif, I don't mean to write her as kind of bitchy. I don't see Sif as a bitch at all. It's just that Loki rubs her the wrong way and she doesn't handle her temper that well yet. So please don't think her evil incarnate. If you didn't like Sif though, as lots of people seem to, go ahead and think what you want of her. I don't care and I don't judge. :)

Also, I would really like a beta if anyone feels like volunteering. :) Someone to be a friend and go over my work with a red pen. I'm mostly looking for someone to catch my grammar. If you see any errors in this chapter, feel free to point them out.

~ A Contest of Speed ~

"Ready? One, Two, Threeee." Kigne grunted as he pulled his laced fingers up, pushed his sister into the air by her right foot. Limyr was lifted just high enough to catch the lowest hanging branch of a massive tree. She hung there a moment, securing her grip, before pulling her weight up and swinging onto the branch.

"Got it!" She announced, leaning over the branch to reach down. Kigne took her hand and pulled himself up. Once on the branch, barely big enough for the two of them, they looked up, looked at each other, and nodded. They started up the tree.

Limyr was the first to the top. The top not being where the branches grew too small to support her, but the point that she needed to be. Just high enough to see over the trees and hedges and into the alcove that the Odinsons were in.

"What do you see?" Kigne asked, still a ways down, not nearly as agile as Limyr.

"They're arguing. Yep, at it again." Limyr sighed, they do their damnest to keep those groups apart. Thor's friends and Loki's friends got along about as well as cats and dogs. It was a secret mission of the palace to avoid collisions of the two. Because when they do, all anyone can do is wince and play at damage control. That or do what her, her brother, and a handful of other servants do, take an active interest for the fun of it.

"Really? What a surprise. What else is happening?"

"Quiet! I'm trying to figure that out."

The voices were distant and hard to make out, but she could hear Loki if she strained hard enough. "...three competitions. One chosen by us, one chosen by you, and one chosen by a servant... The winner of two of the rounds gets to stay... deal?" Kigne pulls himself up on a branch just higher and to her left. He got there in time to see Loki and Thor shake hands.

"What happened?"

"They made a bet. Three challenges. The winner of two gets something."

They watched for a while before Limyr spoke up.

"You want to make a bet?"

"Sure, why not. I bet Loki wins."

"I bet they tie."

Kigne looks at her with a raised brow. "How can they tie? It's a three round competition."

Limyr crosses her arms over her chest and huffs. "Do you accept my bet or not?"

"Fine," Kigne shrugs. "I'll take your money. How about... Fifteen copper pieces?"

Limyr whistled, impressed. "Wow, that's a steep bargain."

"Backing out now?"

"Nope."

The children split up into two huddles.

"Was that a smart idea?" Hogun asked. Thor looked at him strangely, unable to puzzle out the question.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"They get to choose one of the challenges."

"We get to choose the other."

"Yes, but the servants get to pick the last one."

"So?"

"So who do the servants like better?"

Silence fell over them as the realization of this hit home. That it was quite possible that they might lose to favoritism.

"Then we've just have to agree on a servant we both like." Sif announced. "I'm sure there are servants we're friends with, right guys?"

"Of course." Fandral said, but all of them were scuffling a little awkwardly under Sif's disbelieving stare.

"You're kidding me." Sif exclaimed.

"We just don't have a lot of contact with the servants." Thor tried to explain, before looking at her suspiciously. "Do you have any servant friends?"

Sif kicked the ground. "No," she mumbled, "you guys are my only friends."

"You have a lot of room to talk then." Fandral quickly raised his hands to ward off Sif's glare.

"Maybe we can pick that servant that brought us here." Volstagg suggested. "Kigne his name was, I think."

"Yeah, that would work." Thor smiled.

"He did seem to prefer Loki though." Hogun said.

"True, but if the boy is anything like his mother, he will be fair."

"Then it is decided." Volstagg beamed a smile.

"Yes, but that is not the real thing we need to be deciding on is it?" Sif shifted her weight onto one foot, angling the other out slightly, and put her hands on her hips. "What is our challenge going to be?"

"A bulls-eyes hitting contest?" Fandral suggested.

"No, Loki's good with throwing knives." Hogun shot that down, Fandral pouted.

"A drinking contest?" Volstagg slapped his chest. "I doubt any of them can beat me in that!"

The others stared at him. "Volstagg." Sif said slowly. "Loki's not even come of age yet. He shouldn't binge drink."

"No, but Hest is." Volstagg motioned to Svadilfari, using the somewhat diminutive nickname they had come up with. "They can send him into the challenge."

"I think they'll come up with some way to avoid it." Thor said.

"It doesn't have to be ale." Volstagg grumbled.

"You're telling me you're going to drink ten mugs of _water_?" Fandral said inscrutiatingly. Volstagg muttered under his breath about where Fandral could put his water, but knew when he was beaten and didn't argue for it any farther.

"A contest of strength then!" Thor decided

"A sparring match?" Sif asked.

"No. That's too broad. Lets do..." Thor searched his mind for the perfect contest of strength. Finally, get got it! "Lets do a-"

"So Lokes." Amora slung an arm over Loki's shoulder. "What's the plan?"

"We win our challenge, hope to win theirs, and if all else falls, win the last challenge." Loki said with a determined face. "Just because they are older doesn't give them the right to push us around." Angrboda gave a 'yeah!' in agreement. "They aren't better than us and we'll show them that." The others nodded. "So they are probably thinking we will cheat and do something they have no hope of doing, like Seidr related, but we won't."

"We wont?" Lorelei echoed in disbelief.

"No, we aren't going to give them the satisfaction of calling us cheaters when they lose."

"But they are going to pick something we can't do." Baldr piped up.

Loki smirked. "What can't we do?" Baldr matched his smug smile.

"So what _are_ we going to do?" Sigyn looked to Loki expectantly.

"We are going to race."

"Race?" Sigyn blinked.

"Race." Loki confirmed. "We are going to hold a race through the palace and the first one back to the gardens wins."

"That's a great idea." Glut paralleled Loki's words from earlier back to him.

"I'm glade you think so Glut. Because you're going to be racing it."

Glut was shocked, her mouth gaped. It took her a moment to muster up enough moister in her mouth to give a quiet: "What?"

"You're going to race for us!" Sigyn told her, rapping her arm around the thinner girl's shoulders.

"It's actually a good idea." Amora said ponderously.

"I'm full of them."

"Shut up, Loki! No, really Glut. You're the fasted one among us. You can easily take down any of those idiots." Amora smiled at her and Sigyn squeezed her in a hug.

"Do us proud, little sister." Angrboda ruffled her hair and they all laughed.

Glut swallowed a little, the praise and confidence in her warmed her heart, but the gravity of the responsibility of winning the race was heavy on her back. She was fast, her body built for speed and her mind full of tactics that her father taught her about running and races. But she was so young compared to her competition. Her opponent would have size and age on her, maybe not experience, despite them being in training longer than her, but definitely size and age. Even Sif, the youngest of the five of them, was her senior by many years.

She wondered who she would race. Most of the boys were strong, but not particularly fast, despite maybe Hogun. He could be a possibility. The most likely though, was Sif. She was younger for her group too, but agile and fast. Maybe even faster than Glut.

Glut hoped she could win, or at least make it a close race.

Smiling, Loki asked: "Are we ready?"

"Yeah, I would say so." Baldr told him.

"Then let us start." Loki whirled around and stalked up to Thor's group, who were still whispering too each other in barely hushed voices. Loki cleared his throat. Thor looked up.

"Have you picked your challenge?"

"Yes, we have."

"Good. So who should have the pleasure of going first?"

"You can go first." Hogun said quickly. Fandral elbowed him.

"Why are you letting them go first?" He hissed in a mock whisper.

"Does it matter?" The looks he got said that it definitely did. "Well, at least we get to see what their challenge is first and they don't know ours yet."

"But-" Thor started.

"Too bad." Loki raised his chin. "No take-backs."

Thor grunted angrily at Loki's sound logic. "Fine go first. Wouldn't want to keep your majesty waiting, oh, Queen of the flowers."

Loki's face burned in red hot embarrassment. He had forgotten about the garland. Thor and his friends laughed at the joke, and Loki went to rip the flowercrown from his head. He stopped though. It had been a gift from Sigyn, she spent a good part of the morning working on it and he could almost hear her voice. Telling him "A real man's masculinity isn't fragile enough to be dissipated by simple womanly things. If it is, then that man wasn't all that masculine in the first place, was he?" It's been something she's told him for a long time. It helped him feel better about practicing the art of magic. And though he doesn't always believe in those words – there has just been too many instances that he's been called ergi – they do help sometimes. They helped enough that Loki stood straighter and glared fiercely at Thor. He adjusted the crown then crossed his arms over his chest.

"A race." Thor was caught out of his guffawing, he tilted his head at Loki. "A race. The first contest is a race. The two racers will ran out of the garden, through the kitchen and dinning hall, up the west hallway, and back to the gardens. First one to touch the grass again wins."

"Sounds fair." Fandral was surprised that Loki had chosen something so simple. He had expected some kind of mind game or magic trick out of him. Not something as mundane as a race. "Who's going?"

"Sif." Thor pointed to the girl, who in turn point to herself in confusion. "She's the fastest of us."

Sif beamed. "Thanks, Thor. I'll win this challenge easily."

"We pick Glut." Loki waved the girl forward and she came, standing with quiet determination as she faced off with Sif.

"You're choosing her? But she's so young." Volstagg hummed. As the oldest boy there, a man in his own eyes, Glut looked like nothing more than a child. She hadn't even reached her adolescence, and was far away from her womanhood. Sif wasn't a woman either, but she was getting there. Glut was in that awkward prepubescent stage that Volstagg wanted to forget everything about. How in the nine realms could Glut win a race?

Too bad Volstagg forgot about a child's durability and limitless energy.

"I'm old enough to win the race." Glut scolded him.

"We'll see about that." Sif nodded, certain of her abilities.

"Yes we will."

"Okay, okay." Loki breeze between them and, without any gesture or so, they obediently followed. Everyone did. "Here." Loki picked the sparring stick Baldr had been using – Angrboda was still gripping her's – and drew a line in the grass at the edge of the garden, indenting the lush grass just enough to see. "Line up." Sif and Glut did so. Sif set her toes against the line and leaned forward. Glut actually got onto the ground and placed her hands at the line and crouched. Sif looked at her strangely for a second, not understanding Glut's position. "Rules: None actually. Just get to the finish line as quick a possible." Glut looked at Loki in alarm. No rules? How would they have a fair race with no rules? She didn't have time to question him though. "Ready." The girls tensed. "Set." Glut raised her crouch a little and trembled with her rising adrenalin. "GO!"

Swoosh! and the girls were gone. Leaping like deers from the starting line and disappearing inside the open castle doors. Everyone just stared for a second.

"I wish I could watch the race and not just the finish." Baldr said wistfully.

"Well come on then!" Loki waved him on as he rushed out after the girls, quickly disappearing inside.

"Huh, Loki where are you going?" Fandral asked open air. How was Loki going to watch the race? Fandral knew he wasn't as fast as Sif, so how was he going to catch her and Glut? Apparently that didn't matter in the slightest, because it wasn't a beat later that everyone took off after the younger prince.

Thor and the Warriors Three watched as the kids vanished from sight. Then Thor, quick as a switch, bounced on his toes and vibrated with excited energy.

"Come friends! Let us too watch the race!"

"I'll just stay here. Watch the finish." Svadilfari chuckled.

"I'll do the same." Hogun spoke. "To make sure the ending is called correctly."

"Sure, sure. Fandral, Volstagg, let us go!"

Glut focused on her form. Head up, lean forward, swing her arms, dash on the tips of her toes. Her breath came out sharp with each step and her eyes narrowed as she put her might into her initial sprint. It was important to have a harsh sprint at the beginning and end of a race. To get a lead and to finish strong.

She had the lead, but, unfortunately, as soon as Glut slowed to a fast run, Sif took it from her within the first three-hundred yards. The other girl was just the better sprinter. Glut gritted her teeth, but watched as Sif slowed too.

Down the hallway, approaching fast, was their first corner. Sif rounded it with a skid, it slowed her, meanwhile Glut grabbed the edge of the wall and used it to spin her the nine degrees. She gained ground because of it.

The kitchen loomed in front of them, the door wide open and bellowing steam as they prepared dinner. The two of them flashed through the door and into the wide main isle of the kitchen. It immediately turned into an obstacle course. Dodging around startled servants, Glut soon found herself swerving around cookery as well.

It started with a pot of broth. Sif in a panic of a gaining Glut, reached out and tipped the broth over. It spilled all over the floor and the pot twirled on its side. Glut's eyes widened, but she gracefully jumped the obstacle.

Sif continued to knock down things to slow Glut down. Pitchers, pots, pans. Glut had to be on her best vigilance. She jumped over them, swerved around them. And in one case, Sif ran by a cart and purposefully bumped it on her way by, sending it gliding into Glut's way. The young girl twisted her body to slide around it.

 _I will not cheat! I will not cheat!_ Glut repeated the words to herself, gritting her teeth. _Athletes do not cheat!_ Glut was an athlete, just like her father, she didn't cheat. No matter what Loki said, she was going to run a fair race.

Cheering dimly reached her ears.

Loki took three short halls to the kitchen. He came out on the side of the room and ran in, placing his hands on one of the great cutting tables, he could just see the main isle a ways over. A flash of brown beside him alerted him that Baldr was here and a taller flash of blue told him that Angrboda was right behind him.

Bladr was bouncing on his toes, hands on the table, he twisted this way and that, before letting out a grunt of frustration.

Loki snickered before cupping his hand around Angrboda's ear and whispering to her. The girl nodded with a smile. "Baldr." She knelt down.

Baldr looked at her with a question in his eyes.

"Climb on. Hurry, before they come in." With a soft 'oh,' Baldr wasted no time crawling up Angrboda's back and swinging his legs over her shoulders. With a grunt, she raised herself. His weight made her top-heavy and she struggled at first, her hand reaching out to grasp Loki's arm, an anchor to keep her balanced as she pulled herself to her feet. "Can you see now?"

"Yep!" Baldr wiggled excitedly. "Here they come!"

Sif was playing hard, this surprised Loki, since Sif was always so honest in the sparring room.

"Don't let her get away with that! Fight back!" Loki bellowed.

Amora made eye contact with Loki across the huge kitchen, she could barely make him out through the steamed air, but he was there with Baldr and Angrboda. Her and her sister had trailed the opposite direction of Loki and came out on the Western side of the kitchen. Lorelei let out an 'ooph!' and Amora was elbowed aside as Thor took the best viewing position between them.

"Hey!" Amora growled. Fandral and Thor must have followed them, though Valstagg wasn't there.

Thor didn't pay her any mind, and when she gave him a shove he barely moved. Stupid, big brute! Amora had to settle for leaning way to left and peering around him. Lorelei could hardly see at all.

Glut was able to process a few of the words coming her way through the strain of physical effort. Sif was playing hard ball, Glut would never survive by being polite. It wasn't cheating, right? Not if it wasn't technically against the rules – or not rules – and it evened the playing field.

They zoomed out of the kitchen and into the dinning hall. Glut squinted her eyes and gained as much speed as her tiring body could handle, she would need it if she was to pull this off.

The dinning table quickly came up on her, and when it was perfect, the time just right, she lept. Hand landing briefly down on the edge to give lift without losing any momentum, she glid upon the tabletop, lent back on her side to smooth down the resistance. Plates, glassware, and bowls crashed to the floor as Glut sped by.

Sif couldn't resist looking over her shoulder at the sound of crashing ceramics, just in time to see Glut slide on past her to gain the lead. She didn't know what she couldn't believe more. That Glut was now ahead of her or that she just destroyed an entire dinning set to do it. Sif gave a small cough of disbelief as Glut gracefully skidded to her feet and continued running without a pause.

The other girl disappeared out the door with Sif on her heels. They were now in the west wing and the last leg of the race.

"That's the way!" Angrboda threw up her fists before racing out after the two girls. Loki and her had showed up just in time to see the grand takeover for the lead. Loki was grinning from ear to ear.

Amora was laughing and Volstagg booed. He had came straight to here from the garden and that wasn't what he was hoping to happen. "See that? You're so going to lose!" Amora grinned at him like a wolf.

Lorlei and Sigyn ran into the room panting, quickly followed by Thor and Fandral.

"What happened?" Thor demanded.

"Sif's losing. That's what happened." Loki taunted.

"Glut just used the table to pass Sif. She slipped right along it like an eel!" Volstagg told his friends.

Baldr showed up behind Loki just to hear that. He smiled. "I know she could do this!"

"Well let' us hurry up or we will miss the rest of the race." Thor ran out with his two friends.

Lorelei took a step towards following, but Sigyn stopped her. "Let's go back to the garden and see the finish of the race. We're too far behind to keep up now."

"Good idea." Lorelei agreed and the two of the ran out the opposite door back to the garden.

"No way! I'm seeing this through." Baldr took off into the west wing.

Amora shook her head and looked to Loki.

Loki met her with a smirk. "Yes. I do have a way." Amora's eyes twinkled slyly.

Loki grabbed her hand and pulled her to a hanging tapestry. He pulled it aside and ran a nail in patterns down the stone bricks. A moan and shift of heavy weights and dust of stone, an opening appeared in the wall.

"Come on!" Loki dragged her inside. The wall closed up behind them, leaving them in complete darkness. "Stay close." He whispered and pulled her a breaths distances away from him. Amora didn't mind the proximity. He rushed her through the narrow passageway until they came upon another door, which Loki opened in much the same way he opened the first.

Light spilled in on them, temperately blinding Amora, but once it cleared she found herself at the top of the west wing and in full view of the action.

Sif gritted her teeth, that little brat was beating her! There was no way that this was actually happening. Glut was like a kujillion years younger than her, less trained, and thin as a wishbone. Sif had to fix this.

They raced down the hall, it seemed to stretch miles and miles ahead as Sif's tired legs pushed onward. Just then the big double doors swung open with a graceful creak. Sif would have gasped if she could, her steps faltered as the ambassadors calmly walked out of their meeting chambers and right into the middle of the road.

But Glut didn't stop, so Sif didn't either, she couldn't lose this race!

"Look out!" She cried as she swerved around a man in a deep blue shirt. He stumbled in surprise and let out a scoff. Glut ducked around a dwarf just her size and the two girl disappeared into the thick of another obstacle course.

Of course this didn't end well. Shouts of indignation, looks of confusion, and snarls to 'stop' and 'come here at once' followed the path of the girls at the shoved and dodged through the crowd. One unlucky soul ended up on his rear from a particularly nasty shove from Sif.

Then they were in the clear and on home stretch. They raced on, the stream of people having rearranged the two girls into a neck and neck position.

It was then the other children's turn to run through the west wing. Angrboda met the crowd with a shoulder down and narrowed eyes. She shoved people aside the best her young frame could. She even yelled a: "Yet out of the way! I need to see!"

Thor and his two friends were hot on her tail. They entered an already angry group of noblemen, but luckily there was just enough lingering confusion that they could push their way through without a stern hand clamping down on their shoulders.

Unfortunately, a certain women recognized the polite 'excuse me's from a young boy. "Baldr?" Jord called out in surprised confusion.

Baldr's eyes grew wide as saucers at his mother's voice. He ducked his head and hurried, hoping to get away unnoticed. Miraculously, he exited the crowd without being caught.

Amora grabbed Loki's wrist and tugged them into the hall after Angrboda and they joined the others in following Glut and Sif.

Glut was nearly sick to her stomach after that whole ordeal with pushing through the nobles, but importunately, or unfortunately maybe, having Sif right beside her, running with all her might, she had no room for any kind of deep thought.

She had to win, she wasn't even sure why in her exhausted state, just that her competitive nature was roaring inside her and she needed to beat Sif. To prove she could, because she could.

There was the garden! Glut could see it. The end was right there. The sunlight spilling in through the door ahead. Now all she had to do was win. One of the many strategies of racing that her father had taught her came to mind. On the last leg of your race, push with everything you have. You want every bit of energy to be used until you pass out when your cross that line.

So that's was Glut did. She licked her lips and dug her heels in. Her breath huffed and black swam in front of her eyes, but she just closed them and didn't stop. Didn't stop until she felt grass under her shoes. The soft, pliable ground was like a switch. As if someone cut the strings to a puppet, Glut collapsed onto the cool grass.

Sif choked on nothing as she stumbled in behind Glut, placing her hands on her knees and panting. Glut had actually won. That little kid had actually beat her.

Face hot with exhaustion and embarrassment, Sif hid behind her golden hair.

Seven more children swarmed into the garden.

"Glut won." Hogun announced, none too happy.

"Yes!" Angrboda pumped her fist.

"Way to go Glut." Amora smiled proudly.

"Ha! You lose!" Loki pointed a finger at Thor.

Thor glared. "Really? Sif lost?" He looked at his friend in disbelief. Sif didn't say anything and didn't meet his eyes.

How could she let her friends down? They had picked her with confidence and she lost. They were losing because of her. She was older, had more training, and ten more other advantages, but still she lost. Sif just couldn't work out how. Nevertheless, it happened, and embarrassment and hurt pride filled her chest.

"That's okay. We'll get them next round." Fandrall smiled softly and clasped a hand on Sif's shoulder.

Glut sat up, still a little wobbly, but pushed herself to her feet. She held out her hand to Sif, who looked at her in surprised distrust. "Good race."

Sif hesitated a long moment, then took Glut's hand with a small smile of a tiny bit returned confidence. "Good race."

"You did it!" Lorelei threw her arms around Glut, nearly knocking the girl over.

Glut tottered in surprise before smiling and weakly returning the hug. "Thanks." Lorelei pulled her to arm's length and smiled brightly.

"Okay." Fandrall broke in. "Time for our challenge."

"Bring it on." Sigyn voiced everyone's shared thought.


End file.
